Griffith Observatory is a fairly popular tourist attraction in Los Angeles. It is located on the slopes of Mount Hollywood. Griffith Park, where the observatory is located, is an excellent view point from which the entire landscape of the area opens. From there you can see Hollywood, and the Pacific Ocean, and Los Angeles. She is often shown in various sensational films. Now we will tell you about what kind of observatory it is, how they appeared, and why visiting it is often included in the program of travelers who make excursions in Los Angeles. The Americans managed to combine two things at once - this is both a scientific organization and a popular tourist attraction. Let's take a walk around this amazing place.
USA Tours
Excursions to this country like different categories of the population. There are a lot of options for beach and winter holidays, as well as interesting trips. New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, Washington - each of these cities canamaze the imagination with its sights and cultural diversity. Many organized trips around the United States of America include a visit to Los Angeles. As a rule, their duration is from a week or more. Such tours in the USA include trips to the outskirts of the city, various amusement parks, such as Universal Studios, Disneyland or Sea World in San Diego.
History
Griffith Observatory and the park itself, where it is located, are called so because it is the name of the person who owned the land. He gave it to the city of Los Angeles at the end of the 19th century. They say that for a long time he speculated in real estate, but one day he looked at the sky from the mountain through the best telescope at that time. The sight shocked him. Jenkins Griffith also decided to fund the construction of a planetarium and observatory on Mount Hollywood. The project, whose architect was John Austin, was completed in 1935. Then the buildings of the observatory and exhibition halls were ready. They were finished in art deco style. The opening of the planetarium was accompanied by a press campaign, and the public literally rushed up the mountain. In the first years of its operation, the observatory was visited by 13,000 people. Among the exhibits was the Foucault pendulum, proving the rotation of the Earth around its axis, one of the first Zeiss telescopes, as well as a relief model of the north pole of the moon. A planetarium worked under a huge dome in the center of the building. They demonstrated the mechanics of solar eclipses, and also talked about how the solar system works. During World War IIDuring the war, the planetarium was used as a simulator for pilots, and in the sixties of the last century, astronauts.
How to get to the Griffith Observatory?
Parking is quite far from the observation deck. Walk from there ten to fifteen minutes. However, you will have to look for a place for a car for a long time, and there are many traffic jams, especially on weekends. Well, if you don’t come by your own or rented transport, get ready for a hike up the mountain. You can get to the foot by special shuttle buses that run from Hollywood, Highland and the Los Angeles Zoo. The fare is $8.
Opening hours and prices
In 2002, the observatory was temporarily closed for renovation. It started working again in 2006. All buildings were completely restored, and the dome of the planetarium was repaired. From the very opening, people were allowed in here for free. So bequeathed the founder of the observatory. But tickets for a laser show in the theater are sold separately at the box office. The cost of the performance is seven US dollars. Children under five years old are allowed free of charge, but only for morning performances. The Griffith Observatory is closed on Monday. Opening hours during the week are from noon to 10 pm. On weekends it opens from 10 am.
Description
At the beginning of the 21st century, new buildings were built on the terraces of the mountain below the observatory. These are new exhibition halls, souvenir shops, cafes, as well as the Leonard Nimoy "Event Horizon" theater and the museum of precious stones andproducts from them. One of the walls of the observatory is decorated with a giant image of the Virgo galaxy cluster, which is called the Big Picture. There are about a million galaxies there. This section of space in the starry sky accessible to our eyes can be covered with a finger. The planetarium is equipped with telescopes and projectors that allow viewing high-resolution photographs from space stations. One of the popular exhibitions - "Humanity's Path to Heaven" - is located underground. The entire history of the Universe, starting with the Big Bang, is marked with special tablets there. The most visited show at the observatory is the "At the Center of the Universe" laser video in the planetarium. For thirty minutes, actors under the direction of Chris Shelton perform against the backdrop of an artificial starry sky created by him. On occasion, the Griffith Observatory offers visitors live streaming of various astronautical events, such as the 2008 landing of the Phoenix mission on Mars. This complex is loved to be filmed in films and TV shows such as Mission Impossible, Transformers, Terminator 4 and others. Her design has also been used in computer games.
Reviews
Tourists write that the Griffith Observatory is especially interesting for visiting in the mornings and evenings. Very impressive view from the mountain. Travelers are advised to look through a telescope, check their weight on the Moon and Mars, touch real meteorites with their hands. All halls are technically very well equipped, interesting for both adults and children. In the evening, the view of the shining lights of Los Angeles is simply unique. To planYou need to go here for the whole day. There are decent eateries here, you can take burgers, potatoes, salads, even soup. Tables overlooking the mountains and the inscription "Hollywood". However, if you do not want to spend money on local cafes, take water with you. Comfortable shoes are also a good idea as you will have to walk a lot. In addition to the observatory itself, you can take a walk in the surrounding mountains. There are many marked trails for hiking. There are picnic tables.
